High-explosive shell and fuse therefor



Nu. sos,|25.

H. P. Huns. -HIGH EXPLOSIVE SHELL AND FUSE THEREFUR.-

(No Model.)

l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRIS P. IIURST, OF SUMMIT, MISSISSIPPI.

HIGH-EXPLOSIVE SHELL AND FUSE THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,125, dated July 26, 1898. Application filed April 28, 1897. Serial No. 634,236. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRIS P. IIURST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Suinmit, in the county of Pike and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in High-Explosive Shells and Fuses Therefor; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to projectiles and shells, particularly of the armor-piercing and high-explosive class,` and the fuse and fuse- Iitting for detonating the high explosive.

The object of the invention is to produce a shell that will be effective against hard-faced armor and at the same time be capable of carrying a high-explosive charge so arranged as to detonate only on retardation or at the inipact or after the impact and at the same time to provide a fuse that will work effectively, but be harmless until the shell has left the bore of the gun.

In the shell in use the fuse or detonator, if exploded accidentally or prematurely, in all instances will lire the shell charge. I propose to isolate the fuse and the bursting charge by a barrier to be composed of any suitable material, of steel or other metal, of a saturating substance, or a fluid-as, for instance, water-and in some experiments, made before the filing of this applicatioml have succeeded in preventing the'ignition of the charge when the igniterwas ignited by placing between the igniter and the charge a substance which upon the explosion of the igniter strained the lire or saturated the bursting charge'to that degree that it was incapable of being fired by the igniter.

I also propose to chill or freeze nitroglycerin or its compounds-dynamite. This substance has been fired when in a chilled or frozen condition; but heretofore no effort has been made to prevent the excessive heating ofthe layer of explosive lying next to the shell-walls, which when heated to atemperature of 856 or more explodes spontaneously. I propose to surround the frozen explosive by a substance that will absorb the heat and thaw out the explosive so that it may be in a condition to be detonated by the igniter or by the excessive heat imparted-to the shell ont impact. l

I attain these objects in the following manner, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, on which letters of reference are used to illustrate the various parts.

Figure l is a longitudinal section of my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections on lines :zz and g/ y.

A represents the body of a hard-metal projectile having an armor-piercing point B.

In Fig. l I showin the shell-cavity a frozendynamite charge F, surrounded by a coating of ice or chilled water G, presenting a barrier to the introduction of excessive heat to the dynamite charge. In the rear portion of the shell is a fuse-container II, havingv a fusetube K, held in position by screw-threads e. The forward portion of this fuse-tube K ex,- tends into the mass of frozen dynamite. At the rear of tube K is a removable plug h, closing the fuseway and having a plate i, seated on roller-bearings m. In front of this plate is a coiled spring n, held under compression by the thirnble o. Through this thimble extends the detonator p. The detonator is contained in a case having at the rear thereof pins q to prevent'forward motion. In the forward portion of the detonatorcase may be a delayed-action fuse r, and in front of the case is the primer s, for firing the fuse charge; In front of the detonator is a fluid-tank t, having a nipple fu, and resting against studs Qi, preventing rearward motion. The Huid-tank 2f may be omitted, and in its place the forward portion of the tube may be filled with water or other fluid and the nipple it moved up to the forward portion of the tube, as shown by u. The interior of the fuse-tube is screw-threaded in the reverse direction of the rifling of the gun and the thimble o correspondingly screw-threaded. The thimble o has passages w, closed at the rear by a frangible material fw. channels 'w is shown in the unshaded portion on the bottom of thimble O in Fig. 1.

When the shell is fired, the rotary motion imparted to the shell by the riiling of the gun will cause the thimble o, assisted by the coiled spring, to move forward in the fuse- One of these IOO tube, the shock of lirin g rupturing the frangible partitions w', causing the flow of the Iinid in the tube to the empty space or cavity in the rear of the detonator, and when the thimble has reached the studs o, which may be placed at any desirable point, the forward progress of the deton ator is arrested. On impact of the shell the pins qat the rear of the detonator are sheared off by the thimble o and the primer .s brings up against the nipple a in the forward portion of the fuse-tube. In the meantime the layer of ice G has become warm water,thus thawing out the frozen dynamite F, and when the detonator brings up against the nipple n the dynamite is in the condition to be exploded. The thimble 0 may be fitted loosely in tube K and held from forward motion by studs v, placed against the forward portion of thimble o,and if the water-tank is used the shock of impact will send the water-tan k to the far end of tube K, it also being fitted loosely, and become wedged in the forward portion of this tube. On impact of the shell the detonation will be exactly as heretofore described, the prilner being exploded by the nipple u. The object of the Water-tank is to prevent the detonation of the explosive F in the event the detonator is set off or exploded in the gun by the shock of iiring or otherwise, and whether used as shown or the detonator. surrounded bya iiuid the object to be attained is the same. If the explosive F were Wet guncotton and the detonator exploded in the position shown in .Fig l, the water-tank t, if made with thin walls, would be ruptured and the water thrown to the front end of the closed tube, the thinned walls y of the fusetube bein g also ruptured,the gnncotton would receive an excess of water, thereby making it impossible for the detonator, lwhen exploded accidentally or prematurely, to detotonate the freshly-saturated wet guncotton. In either case described the tank t or the column of water forms a barrier and serves as a stop to prevent the burning gases from reaching the bursting charge in the shell. Pressure on the tank t causes the fluid Vto spread the tank, and thus grip and close the fuseway more eifectually than if the tank were a solid block, and if the tank were ruptured the water would strain the burning gases and take the fire out before reaching the bursting charge. The fuse-tube is shown with strongly-closed walls, leaving a large space unoccupied in the fuse-tube in front and in rear and around the detonator, as shown in full lines, this unoccupied space forming a fuseway and a safety-chamber at the same time.

Many modifications may be made of this invention without departing from the letter and scope and intent of the same-asiel1 instance,

the tank is shown as a screwthreaded block, with a liuid center, and is fitted into the screw-threaded fuseway of tube K in such a manner that in case of accidental or premature explosion of the detonator the blockt will positively block up and close the fuseway and present an effectual barrier to the passage of the burning gases of the detonator to the bursting charge in the shell-cavity, thereby making the shell charge practically non-detonating until the shell has been iired from the gun and the barrier moved in the fuseway during the flight of the shell.

The armorpiercing and other shells in use can easily have the bursting charge and fusetting, illustrated and described herein, applied thereto without altering the general design, and some of the existing detonators can also be made use of in my system.

I am not aware that any one has heretofore made, shown,- or described a shell having a positively-engaging block or effectual closure for the fuseway, and I desire to protect my invention broadly without regard to the means I employ to accomplish the desired result.

It is the intention to have the fuse-tube K easily removable, and it may be arranged to be inserted just before the shell is put into the gun. Gas-checks Z and Z may be provided. The-diameter of detonator j) maybe equal to interior of fuse-tube K, and this may be done by enlarging the forward portion of detonator p, as is shown in dotted lines of Fig. 1.

What I claim is l. In a shell, a bursting charge, a fuseway,

va detonatoradapted to move therein and a barrier effectually closing the fuseway,where by, upon the accidental or premature explosion of the detonator the fuseway is blocked thereby preventing the passage of the gases from the detonator to the bursting charge.

2. In a shell, a bursting charge therein, a

fuseway, a detonator adapted to move in the fuseway and a barrier positively engaging and closing said fuseway, so as to confine the gases from the detonator in case of the accidental or premature explosion of the detonator, and means to move said barrier when the shell is propelled from the gun.

3. A shell carrying therein a chilled or frozen explosive and a chilled or frozen iiuid in operative relation therewith.

4. A projectile having a chilled or frozen explosive therein surrounded by a chilled or frozen fluid, as set forth.

5. A projectile having a chilled or frozen explosive therein, a chilled or frozen iiuid interposed between said explosive and the walls ICO IIO

of the shell-cavity, and means to detonate said explosive, as set forth.

6. A high-explosive shell carrying a deto- .nator and a fluid in operative relation thereto, and means to move said iiuid out of the Way of said detonator, as set forth.

7. A high-explosive shell carrying a detonator, means for isolating said detonator consisting of a Huid barrier, and means to move the location of said barrier, as set forth.

8. A shellhaving an explosive charge there in, a detonator carried by said shell and an interposed fluid between said charge and said detonator, as set forth.

9. In a shell the bursting charge therein, a detonator therefor, and means to saturate said charge on the accidental or premature bursting of said detonator, as set forth.

10. In a high-explosive shell, the bursting charge therefor, a detonator carried by said shell, and an isolating fluid for said detonaf tor, as set forth.

11. In a shell, a bursting charge, a fuseway,

-a detonator adapted to move therein, and a barrier or block arranged to close the fuse- Way and constructed to be moved by the rotary motion'of the shell when propelled by the gun, as set forth.

12. A projectile having an explosive therein, a -detonator carried by said projectile, and an interposed fluid between said detonator and said explosive, and a delayed-action fuse, all combined, as set forth.

13. A high-explosive shell having a detonator, a iiuid interposed between the detonator and ,the explosive charge, and an empty space or cavity adapted to receive the fluid after firing the shell and before detouation of the high explosive, as set forth.

14. A shell having a fuse-container, a fusetube carried thereby having arelnovable plug securing in said tube a detonator and a fluid, as set forth. Y

15. For use in an explosive shell, a closed fuse-tubo havingl its Walls reduced or Weakened at or near its front end to enable the detonator-gases to rupture the same and -re the shell charge, with a detonator in its rear end and a block or barrier secured in said fuse -tube between the detonator and the weakened portion of the same to prevent the gases from the detonator reaching the Weakened portion of the fuse-tube and firing the shell charge in case of an accidental or premature explosion of the detonator.

- 16. A shell, a fuseway connected thereto, a detonator carried bya thilnble having venting grooves or channels therein, said thimble adapted to move in the fuseWay, as set forth.

17. In a shell, an internally-grooved fuse- Way, a detouator adapted to move in said fuseway, said fuseway being grooved in re verse direction of the riliing of the gun, as set forth.

1S. A shell having an explosive charge, a detonator carried thereby and a fluid-tank therein, said tank provided With means to explode said detonator, asset forth.

19. A shell having a detonator carried by a thinlble fitted in a fuse-tube, a spring bearing upon said detonator and seated upon a roller-bearin g plate or disk, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix lny signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HARRIS P. HURST.

Witnesses:

F. L. OURAND, A. K. WILLIAMS, Jr. 

